Later "official" H-D folklore claimed the first carb was MADE from a tomato can (presumably the bowl). But if you go back farther in time (early 1950s) H-D only said that the first carb RESEMBLED a tomato can.

However, a pal of mine measured both very early Harley carbs and measured tomato cans of that period and they were very similar in size!

For mockup or experimental purposes if a vessel could hold tomato juice, it could also hold gas, so who knows?

Huck wrote:Here's another "Grant's Tomb" question for which the "right" answer is only popular folklore:Karl Benz(First name required.)

Now for real glory, name some carbs that preceded his patent.

....Cotten

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Google sez,The carburetor was invented by Karl Benz in 1885 and patented in 1886. It was apparently also invented by the Hungarian engineers János Csonka and Donát Bánki in 1893.[citations needed] Frederick William Lanchester of Birmingham, England experimented early on with the wick carburetor in cars. In 1896 Frederick and his brother built the first petrol driven car in England

Wilhelm Maybach who worked with Gottlieb Daimler is credited with the first functional Carb. Carl Benz is sometimes credited since he added the butterfly throttle valve. But all any of them did was to add air and fuel controls to the already invented venturi which is variously credited to Dr. Allen De Vilbiss, Giovanni Venturi and Clemens Hershel.Dusty

Cotten, Are you dodging the question? The first carburetor patented in the United States was not Who invented" the carburetor?". There is a big difference between the two. Also it sounds like whoever wrote that story on Glenn Curtis morphed the H-D legend into the Curtis legend.